UPDATED: JUN 3, 2020 12-ounce bottle (2017 vintage, 9.3%) pours black with some brown highlights and a trace of light-brown head and lacing. Aroma: chocolate-covered cherries, balsamic vinegar. Flavor: Zante currants, gooseberries, cranberries, tart cherries, chocolate, prune juice, vanilla beans, wooden char, bourbon. Mouthfeel: medium- to full-bodied, slightly slick finish.

UPDATED: MAR 12, 2019 Bourbon and nougat nose, faint cherry and even fainter charred oak. Black, thin tan head. Tart black currant and prune. Medium body, easy carbonation. Not nearly as good as the non-barrel aged version.

UPDATED: JAN 14, 2019 Pours very dark with an insinuation of a thin foam ring. Aroma is far subtler than I expected. The notes I anticipated are there, coffee, bourbon, cherries ... but it’s so mild that I struggle to discern much. The barrel notes are there on the flavor, and some tart cherries. Plus there are mild herbal/licorice notes. But like the aroma, the aroma isn’t at all aggressive. On another day I might love this beer. Today I think it’s only OK.

UPDATED: DEC 16, 2018 Good complexity - dark, wild cherry aromas, with bourbon, chocolate, coffee and dried fruit aromas. Alcohol is prominent but not overwhelming. Good balance, the bourbon does not overwhelm. One of the better bourbon barrel aged stouts.

UPDATED: APR 26, 2018 Cherry lead with oak finish. Cherry nose. Just all cherry. But well balanced. Sweet with tart flavor and a finish of A bit of oak/ cherry pit

Excellent stout. Cherry is aggressive and accents the bold chocolate base really effectively. Barrel aging pushes this beer over the top. Excellent. Tried with Jess and dad at extreme in 2018.

12oz bottle from Steve's in Fitchburg, cellared 2 months and poured into the Civil Society snifter at cellar temperature. Almost black pour with a brown head that rapidly faded. Aroma has barrel, sweet malts and black cherries. Taste is of sweet malts, whiskey, tart cherries, other fruit and some roastiness. The taste is more dimensional than the barrel from the nose. Medium to full bodied, not falling into that "all barrel, no depth" trap. The blend is pretty good and there is a bit of an alcohol presence. Finishes sweetly, with a touch of tartness. This is a solid, tasty, sipper of a brew. 14.8

Bottle from Beers of the World. Aroma of cherries, vanilla, caramel, and whiskey barrel.

UPDATED: FEB 3, 2018 Pours a rich black with hints of red in the ring of head. Mild bourbon aroma with tart fruit. Lightly carbonated. Mild bourbon taste up front with tart cherry finish. Not as boozy as expected

UPDATED: JAN 24, 2018 Bottled. Pours black, tan head. Aroma is lots of bourbon, oak, tart cherry, dark fruit. Flavor is super tart cherry, bourbon, oak. It’s like a sour stout. Interesting. Better than standard cherry for sure.